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Re: Can sets have order?



Just noticed you said:


> > It just constructs the set of ancestors.

> In a particular order, right?  Do you claim that it can return a node set in 
> any order besides reverse document order?


YES!!! If you want to claim that it returns a node set that is ordered,
it is ordered in document order.

<xsl:variable name="x" select="attribute::*"/>

OK so $x is a node set. If it is ordered, then presumably

<xsl:copy-of select="$x[1]"/>

is it's first element, no?

well it gets the outer most element, the relevant order being document
order not reverse document order.

If $x was an odered set ordered by reverse document order, then 

<xsl:copy-of select="$x[1]"/>

would be the same as

<xsl:copy-of select="ancestor::*[1]"/>

and select the parent.

It is in explaining why 

<xsl:copy-of select="$x[1]"/>
isn't the same as
<xsl:copy-of select="ancestor::*[1]"/>

that it is helpful to stress that the node set $x is just a set, that it
doesn't "remember" that it was constructed in reverse order. In other
words the ordering isn't a property of the set $x.

David

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